Attachment for sound-boxes



F. L. CAPPS. ATTACHMENT ron SOUND BOXES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1919. 1 99,003. Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

v nairsnsrarss FRANK I. CAPPS, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ATTACHMENT FOR SOUND-BOXES.

Application filed May 10,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, F RANK L. CAPPs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, New York, (whose post-ofiice address is No. 392 Clinton avenue, Brooklyn, New York,) have invented a new and useful Attachment for Sound-Boxes, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates primarily to soundboxes for playing the well-known zigzag sound records; but the underlying principles of the invention can be utilized in connection with s011nd;boxes for playing other types of records. The object of the invention is to modulate the audible reproduction, so as to play one record or selection more softly, and another more, loudly, or to play the same recordimore softly on one occasion and more loudly on another,--without inany case distorting the music.) i

The invention comprises broadly a plurality or series of interchangeable attache ments, each readily securable to and removable from the sound-box, and each comprisinits own particular stylus-bar or lever fulcrumed thereon, each lever (with its stylus or needle) differing from the others in theseries (as in dimensions or material,

or both), so as to produce (with its needle) the softer or the louder playing as the case may be. i

The invention comprises further the individual attachment that provides an everfulcrumed stylus-lever or that constitutes a detachable, fulcrum-mounting for the. flever, with suitable means-for readily securing said mounting and its lever in operative relation upon the sound-box. The lever can be separated from the fulcrum if, desired, but it is unnecessary to do so; normally the lever will remain efulcrumed upon said mounting whether the attachment as a whole is secured to or taken away from the sound-box. r r,

The invention comprises further the various features and details herein pointed out andclaimed. H

eretofore one practice has been to provide the sound-conduitiwith a valve or throttle, by which to throttle down. the soundwaves and mufliethe sound. But this requires a special installation in the machine in the first place, Moreover, the co-action of the record-undulations with the. stylus and diaphragm re u t erta n d e- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented nee -1921 1919. Serial No. 296,134.

phragm-movements having their own charl acteristic frequencies and amplitudes; and said diaphragm-movements in turn generate initially certain sound-waves which have their own peculiar and characteristic erties, among them being loudness or volume. To throttle down an'd more or less choke oii" the passage of these initially-.correct sound-waves, has atcndency to produce interferences, echoes, etc.;

and gives to the r' emit-ted sounds a dulled. deadened, mufiled quality, instead of the true and clear yet merely-softened. sounds sought by such attempt at modulation, and actually attained by means or" the present inventio Another practice has been to make selecv tive, use of different needles, the' so-call'ed loud-tone, medium-tone, and soft-tone? needles. But, to the trained musical ear, this entails a distortion of the musical quality of the reproduction. (Theentire leversystem, comprising its central or fulcrum portion and the needle also, issuppos'ed-to be properly designed to givetrue reproducplaying needle, or a. louder-playing one (while retaining the rest of the originallever-system unchanged) 'unbalances I the le verage of the systemeas a whole, so, that a loud? needle renders the music unduly tlOl'lS, and, to substitutevmerely softer-I The presentfinvention takes care of this,

however, by, fulcruming the leverproperly upon amember which is detachably secured to the sound-box inconvenient manner, and by making suitable provision for insuring almost automatic connection of lever and diaphragm. r i

The present, inventor has discovered a highly-desirable method of dimensioning the stylus,,-levers;' but as. the same formegno pa t of h P ntn e ion, b -1 de ed sufiicient' for the present to state that, n

general, the greater the rigidity throughout the lever-arms, the louder the playing, and vice versa; that the rigidity and the inertia (e. 9., the mass) of one arm of the lever should more or less exactly counterbalance those of the other arm; that, within limits, the smaller the proportion of the mass (and of the attendant inertia) at the extremities of. the lever, and the greater the proportion of said mass at or adjacent the intermediate or fulcrum-portion, the better; and that there should be a gradual reduction of the rigidity and of the inertia (e. 9., of the mass) of the lever, fromthe intermediate or fulcrumportion outward, toward each end (such reduction of mass tapering the lever-arms, preferably, in a concave curve or curves.) The invention is susceptible of expression in various ways. But, for the sake of clearness, one preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but merely as anexample. In said drawings; Figure 1 is a sideor edge view, mainly a die-metric section, of aconventional soundboX, showing the new attachment in place; Fig. 2 is a perspective, showing the inner face of the new attachment, removed from the sound-b0X; and a Fig. 8 is intended to illustrate the plurality of such interchangeable attachments. "The sound-box, of the usual or any suitableconstruction, comprises the main portion 1, and the tubular neck 2 at its rear, and carries the usual, or any suitable diaphragm 3. As shown, thesound-boX is provided with the offset 4:, having (rectangular) plane surfaces parallel with the diaphragm, and'carrying the headed or collared set-screw 5 threaded therein, for securing the attachment in place. To the center of the diaphragm is secured a lever connection or seat, here shown as a rivet or screw or other member having an overhang which provides a recess for engagement with the inner end of the stylus-bar.

The attachment comprises the main portion 7 having therein a channel 8 to receive the offset 4 with snug fit, and also havin'g'the two pivot-lugs 9-9 for fulcruming the stylus-bar. The inner face of the attachment iscurved concentrically wanna soundbox, as indicated at 10, 10, 10; and the lower'portion is transversely recessed, as at 11, so as to slide snugly over and re ceive the shank of the set-screw. a

"The stylus-bar 12 is shown as provided with two trun'ni'ons 13 -13 and a needlebarrel 1a, in which latter a needle 15 isdetach ably secured as by the set-screw 16." As shown, the fulcruming consists ofthe two cone-pointed screws 17 threaded respectively through the lugs 9-9 and bearing firmly against conical seats inthe ends of the trim ri es a he d b lQQ rI-PW J h lesbar lies radially of the diaphragm, of course; and, as shown, may lie substantially parallel thereto, as far as to the bend or elbow 19, whence it approaches the diaphragm and terminates in'a toe 20, adapted to enter and engage the above-named recess inmember 6. When such bend 01' ch how 19 is provided, the effective length of the lever-arnrwi'll preferably be such that, sli htly before the block 7 has been shoved all the way'home upon its supporting-offset a, the toe 20 will abut against its seat; so that. when the block 7 is shoved completely home, there will be "a slightlateral stress of the depending portion of the lever-arm, which insures non-rattling engagement without anyl o'st motion.

To remove one detachable stylus-mounting and substitute another, first loosen the set-screw 5, and then draw the attachment and its stylus-bar off (radially, with respect to the sound-box) thenapply the substitute attachment 1n radial directiomitakmg care.

that the toe 2O ofits stylus enters the aforesaid s'eat 6, and then tighten up the sets screw. Y i

It will be understood that the invention is notlimitedlto the manner of fulcruming the lever upon the member or block 7, or to the particular screw-and-nut member '6 for providing thedisengageable connection between the diaphragm and the lever, since any usual orpreferred' manner of fulcruming can be employed, and any suitable connec tion between the lever. and the diaphragm, provided the parts can be properly assem bled and engaged (as by the radial-direc tion application of the attachment upon the offset and can be readily dis-assembled. It further obvious that other changes can" be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts, without departing from the spirit of the invention. I

It seems hardly necessary to state that the devices of: Fig. on a much smaller scale, are not plotted out scientifically, and

are given merelyin order to convey the information that the invention contemplates the use of a plurality of interchangeable properly-fulcrumed styluses which differ among themselves solely in the designing of their respective stylus-levers, and consequently in the acoustic behavior thereof when properly positioned and equipped with a suitable needle.

, The invention having been thus fully set forth, what is claimed is: i 1. The combination of a sound-box having an offset extension, and the diaphragm thereof provided at its centerwith amemr ber affording a. leve connection such as an overhang, a block carrying two lugs and provided with a grooveadapted to fit snugly.

upon said extension, means for securing said blea fiamlr P sta w n an ex si n,

iic

a stylus-lever fulcrumed between said lugs and having its inner enddisengageably engaging said lever connection.

2. The combination with a sound-box, a diaphragm mounted therein, a member affixed centrally to said diaphragm and affording a lever-connection such as an overhang, a demountable block, a stylus-lever mounted upon said block, said block and the inner end of said stylus-lever being readily and simultaneously engageable with said sound-box and said lever-connection respectively by movement in the direction of a radius of said diaphragm, and simultaneously and readily movable therefrom by reverse radial movement, and means for securing said block when so applied to said sound-box.

3. A sound-box comprising the combination of a frame, a diaphragm located therein, a block, a stylus-lever fulcrumed on said block, means for demountably securing said block to said frame, and means carried permanently by said diaphragm for rigidly holding said stylus-lever in operative rela tion thereto while permitting at will free radial engagement and withdrawal of said lever simultaneously with the mounting and demounting respectively of said block.

4. A sound-box having an offset and containing a diaphragm prrovided at its center with a positive mechanical engaging-device, in combination with a block readily and positively applicable operatively to and removable from said offset by direct movement, a stylus-lever fulcrumed on said block and having its free end readil and positively engageable operatively with and disengageahle from said engaging-device by such direct movement simultaneously with said applying and removal respectively of said block, whereby said block with its said stylus-lever are readily interchangeable with another block carrying a specifically-different stylus-lever, and means for demountably securing the block in its said operative posi tion.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

FRANK L. OAPPS. 

